End of Summer Love

The end of summer is nearly here...time for those last trips to the beach, warm evenings dining al fresco (my personal favorite) and spending as much time as you can with the ones you love. In just a few short weeks, the kids will be back in school, and fall weddings will begin. These polaroid-dream images by Bre Jane capture those lazy days of late summer, and provide some beautiful fall inspiration too...scroll on to get lost in this daydream of summer love.

Shangria-La and Anastasia Couture Wedding Dresses

Shangria-la coutrue wedding dress with color

Couture Wedding dress by Claire Pettibone

I love incorporating color into my collection, and the Shangri-La gown is one of the most vibrant. French embroidery with a bold floral pattern in shades of turquoise, fuchsia and olive - this yarn is variegated, which means it's dyed with an ombre of various shades of green, and as it is stitched to the delicate tulle, the colors echo the variations you would find in nature. Choosing thread colors for my embroideries is one of my favorite things to do...like painting with fabric. This illusion back sheath is layered over the most exquisite French metallic gold lace. It has a very unique pattern of a stripe combined with a floral scallop edge, and I've never seen anything quite like it. To complete this bohemian rhapsody, I chose gold quatrefoil fringe trim for the sweep train and gold Guipure lace at the waist.

The vibrant golden yellow, burnt reds, blush and earthy tones that inspired this shoot planned by Couture Events Maui are so gorgeous paired together with this beautiful couple. The colors you choose for your wedding can really set the tone. This vibe feels artfully bohemian and very chic. These two weren't afraid of color - they embraced it, and the result is like a beautiful painting. When I dress two brides, I want the gowns to compliment each other and tell a story, but to also be different enough that both brides shine in their own way. This combination of Shangri-La with Anastasia is a stunner, and part of what brings it together are the florals by Waikapu Collective. Since one dress is bold, we want to bring some of that power to the ivory gown, and that golden bouquet does just that - what a stunning pair!

For as much as I talk about color, I do still love an ivory gown. I don't design with white - personally, I prefer softer tones of ivory, champagne, gold, blush and silver which flatter more skin tones. And since I'm always looking at photographs, I appreciate that stark white can be very harsh in photos, where a softer silk-white (the natural color of the un-bleached fiber) gives our brides a beautiful glow. Plus, with my love of all things vintage, I can't help but add a little antique gold or pewter thread into my embroideries! In the case of Anastasia, we have both. An intricate French champagne metallic embroidery with some tiny fairy dust sparkles thrown in, and a sheer silver Guipure lace waist. Lined in pearl silk, and finished with an elaborate hand-beaded overskirt - this dress has a very modern silhouette paired with all of that vintage-inspired detail I can't resist.